Dreamer's World December 3 2015

Yesterday was a day of extremes. On the positive side, I had a tremendous time at the company Xmas party yesterday. It lasted well into the evening and thankfully I didn’t have to drive home last night. I was happy to see some of the people that I seldom have the chance to interact with. I had a really great time when I found out that there was another University of Kentucky alum working for the company. We bonded almost instantly due to our shared background, and of course the drinks helped.
At one point during the late afternoon, after we had a wonderful lunch, the party moved to the bar. I saw a headline about something going on in San Bernadino, CA but I was unable to hear what was going on. It wasn’t until after I arrived home after 2100 that I found out what had happened. Another example of insanely lax gun laws providing domestic terrorists with easy access to an arsenal of weapons. The mental state of these people always seems to be the area of focus. While it is important to understand the motives behind actions like this, we cannot forget that stronger gun control will help to deny these people the access to the weapons they use to commit these acts of domestic terrorism.
We need to get away from the concept that somehow creating a mental health solution will solve the gun violence issue. While it is important to know who should and should not be allowed to obtain firearms, we also need to redouble efforts to restrict the number of firearms that are already available. The ease of access to firearms is one of the reasons we have these instances of domestic terrorism in this country.
Too often the old arguments just fall apart. “If guns are outlawed, only criminals will have guns” is the first one. This argument clearly ignores the fact that most weapons used in domestic terrorism are purchased legally anyway. Once again, it is the availability of guns that creates these problems.
Sadly, the voice of reason will be drowned out by the roar of fear and the money that can be made from profiting off the fear itself by the gun lobby and their paid-for politicians.
Anyway, I am more than halfway through my workday and am looking forward to quitting time. I am glad to report that my Xmas gift for Hal arrived yesterday, a 27” touchscreen monitor for his computer which will be better for his vision. He was stunned when he got it. I asked him to pick up the package while I was at the Xmas party and he had it all set up by the time I got home in the evening.
The afternoon has slowed to a crawl now during a meeting where people are in love with the sound of their own voices. Since I have no direct input to the items being discussed, I am on mute and glad to not be involved, although somewhat bummed that I have to be listening in the first place. If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, it will be a good day. The plan for the evening is to stay right here at home and not spend any money.
It sounds weird, but in this season where seemingly everyone is concerned about spending as much as they can, I am finished with it. After I did get the gift for Hal, I am more focused than ever on paying down my bills as quickly as possible. Thoughts of getting something for myself have danced through my head, but I have quickly banished them because after some thought it is apparent that I really don’t NEED anything.
For the first time in years, I was able to get Hal’s gift without going into debt for it. If I can emerge from the holiday season without accumulating more debt, it will be the best holiday season in many, many years. I know that Hal is also struggling to pay off debts, so I told him that I do not expect anything in return this year. We have each other and The Stooges, and that is more than enough.
Just 30 minutes left in the day at work. I am all caught up with things here and looking forward to relaxing and perhaps a nap this evening before the UK game which starts at 2100. Dinner was delicious, and now I can think about a nap before the game.
I managed to get a 2-hour nap in before the game. Less than 30 minutes until the game starts. I plan to go back to bed soon after the completion of the game. UK has played well and I hope this continues tonight. UCLA is not as good as they have been in years past, but it is a road game at Pauley Pavilion, and a real early-season test for the Wildcats.